MySmart™ Interview with the Scientist

When you want inside information about a product, you go to the source. Luckily, we didn’t have to go very far to ask about the new USANA MySmart™Foods.

We asked Dr. Brian Dixon, executive director of health and science education at USANA, a few questions about our great new MySmart™Shakes and MySmart™Bars. Let’s see what he said.

What went into the development of these new products?
We recognized a desire among consumers for simple, pure products. They want ingredients they can pronounce and easily understand. That means cleaner labels and ingredients that are closer to nature. One thing I was taught was to simply look at the length of an ingredient deck—almost always, shorter is better.

This was also an opportunity to add in more healthy fats—mainly from coconut oil—to provide healthy macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fats. For a long time, the story was that fats were bad. When you dig into the scientific literature, that’s just not the case.

So what’s going on with the saturated fat in the products?
Fats are a vital nutrient, especially for our cells. And the type of fats found in coconut oil—which is what we use in these products—has quite a few health benefits. It’s been shown to support healthy metabolism, and contribute to satiety. There’s also evidence coconut oil is a heart-healthy food because it supports healthy triglyceride levels and maintains good cholesterol levels already in the normal range.

How will the shakes and bars benefit my overall diet?
That’s a great question. We are very good at talking about “essential” micronutrients—the vitamins and minerals that are essential to sustain life. However, we often forget there are “essential” macronutrients as well. MySmartFoods offer both essential and healthy macronutrients designed to help bring our overall diet back into balance.

Around the world, we are consuming more calories coming mostly from refined sugars, and more specifically, from snacking. The primary goal of these new products is to help restore balance in our diet, and combine them with the USANA® Essentials™ to provide the essential macro- and micro-nutrition our bodies need to thrive.

What’s the target customer for these products?
There isn’t one. We designed the shakes and bars to work for everyone. We used the best science and ingredients available to develop these products to fit into any lifestyle.

The shakes, especially, are very customizable. We have three different bases—plant, whey, and soy—which gives people options right away. There are a variety of flavors that will appeal to a lot of different palates, and boosters to provide more protein or fiber. They fit any lifestyle because they’re so easy to personalize.

Are the products low glycemic?
The new bars are low glycemic. The new shakes can’t make that claim because there is no added sugar. There simply isn’t enough sugar to even determine a glycemic score experimentally. It is literally impossible. So, while we can’t measure the glycemic index of shakes, of course they will help support your low-glycemic diet.

Will the products make me feel full longer?
Besides fat, it is well known and scientifically documented that increased amounts of fiber and protein will also help increase the overall sense of satiety and boost your metabolism. Just two of the many health benefits these macronutrients provide.

What’s your favorite new flavor of shake and bar?
EASY!!! Cappuccino and chocolate.

(Editor: This article has been reposted from the USANA distributor news announcement)

*This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
†Some images and text in this publication are the copyrights of USANA Health Sciences Inc. and are reproduced with their permission.